By Gleb Stolyarov
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Monday that it was too early to say what the future would hold for Russia’s military bases in Syria, adding that it would be the subject of discussion with the new rulers in Damascus.
After a lightning advance of a militia alliance spearheaded by Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, raising questions about two strategically-important Russian military facilities in Syria.
Asked about the future of the bases, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “It’s premature to talk about it yet.”
“This is all a subject for discussion with those who will be in power in Syria,” Peskov said, adding that there was “extreme instability” in the country.
“Of course, everything is being done now that is necessary and everything that is possible in order to get in touch with those who can deal with security. And, of course, our military is also taking all necessary precautions,” Peskov said.
Russia’s Hmeimim airbase in Syria’s Latakia province a naval facility at Tartous on the coast.
The Tartous facility is Russia’s only Mediterranean repair and replenishment hub, and Moscow has used Syria as a staging post to fly its military contractors in and out of Africa.
Peskov confirmed that Assad had been given asylum in Russia, saying the decision was made by President Vladimir Putin. Asked about a possible meeting between Putin and Assad, Peskov said none was currently in the official Kremlin schedule.
More broadly, Peskov said, the Kremlin saw a turbulent international situation with a high potential for conflict.
“We see the situation around Ukraine, we see many contradictory statements in this regard, we see a growing conflict potential in other regions, we can say the burning Middle East,” Peskov said.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end “the madness”.
The Kremlin said on Sunday that Russia was open to talks, but that they had to be based on agreements reached in Istanbul in 2022 and on current realities on the battlefield where Russian forces have been pushing forward at their fastest rate since the early days of the war in 2022.
Putin has said that Ukraine must not join the NATO military alliance and that Russia should be left fully in control of four Ukrainian regions his troops partially control at the moment for a peace deal to be done.
Asked if there had been any contact with Trump or his team, Peskov said: “No, there have still been no contacts.”
(Reporting by Reuters in Moscow; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
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